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The weekend is almost here, which means it is time for some San Francisco 49ers Week 17 bold predictions. The Niners will travel to face the Las Vegas Raiders at the Allegiant Stadium on Sunday.
San Francisco is currently on an eight-game winning streak and has clinched the NFC West at 11-4. While it should be very difficult to accomplish, the team still has a chance at finishing with the No. 1 seed in the conference. As of now, the 49ers are third behind the Philadelphia Eagles and Minnesota Vikings. For that to happen, the Niners need to win out while the Eagles lose both of their remaining games and the Vikings lose at least once.
On the other hand, at 6-9 and third in the AFC West, the Raiders have remote chances of making it to the postseason. They would need to win both of their remaining games and hope that the five teams above them in the standings do not win a single one.
While this game appears very one-sided, San Francisco is still battling for a higher seed. With that being said, here are some bold predictions for the 49ers as they play the Raiders in Week 17.
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3. San Francisco holds Las Vegas to less than 200 passing yards
On Wednesday, Las Vegas head coach Josh McDaniels announced that the team would bench longtime starter Derek Carr in favor of Jarrett Stidham. A three-time Pro Bowler quarterback, Carr leads the league with 14 interceptions and has a 60.8% completion rate, his worst since his rookie year.
As opposed to Carr, Stidham has not had much time on the field in the NFL. Since being drafted in the fourth round in 2019, he has appeared in 11 total games for the New England Patriots and Raiders. Sunday will mark his first NFL start.
For his career, Stidham is completing 52.5% of his passes for 342 yards with two touchdowns and four interceptions. This season, he played significant snaps in just one game, going 8-for-13 for 72 yards.
Due to his inexperience and potential nerves as a first-time starter, the bold prediction is that San Francisco will hold him to less than 200 passing yards.
2. Brock Purdy throws for 300+ yards, multiple touchdowns
The 49ers have also had some changes at the quarterback position throughout the season. After Trey Lance suffered a season-ending injury, Jimmy Garoppolo took over as the starter. Then, when the veteran injured his foot, 2022 Mr. Irrelevant Brock Purdy became the new QB1 in San Francisco. Luckily for the 49ers, it seems the rookie is not afraid of the responsibility.
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In seven games, Purdy has completed 67% of his pass attempts for 912 yards and nine touchdowns against three picks. He has two passing touchdowns in each of the games he played significant snaps. Most notably, the team is 3-0 with him as a starter.
On Sunday, Purdy and the Niners will face one of the worst passing defenses in the NFL this year. The Raiders allow opponents to complete 67.9% of their passes, the third-worst mark in the league. They also have just five interceptions, ranking them in the bottom three in that category. Additionally, Las Vegas' defense has registered only 25 sacks, better than just the Chicago Bears (18) and Atlanta Falcons (19).
Combining his success since replacing Garoppolo and Las Vegas' poor passing defense, Purdy is likely to have a great performance in Week 17. The bold prediction is that he will throw for a career-high 300-plus yards and multiple touchdowns. If that happens, San Francisco should be in a great field position for most of the day, allowing multiple scoring opportunities.
1. 49ers blow the Raiders out
Considering what both teams are showing in 2022 plus the quarterback situation in Las Vegas, it is difficult to bet against San Francisco on this one. The Niners are playing some of the best football in recent weeks. On the other side, the Raiders are struggling against non-playoff teams such as the Los Angeles Rams and Pittsburgh Steelers.
According to FanDuel, the 49ers are the clear favorites to win this game. Currently, the spread is -10. It is the third-largest spread of the week just behind Kansas City's -12.5 against Denver and Dallas' -13.5 over Tennessee.
This means that most people believe this will not be a close game. At the very least, the Niners will open a comfortable lead early on and control the game.
The bold prediction is that San Francisco will indeed win this contest. However, they will blow the Raiders out. Expect very few punts by the 49ers as they will be in Las Vegas' territory quite often. Purdy and Christian McCaffrey should have great individual performances, one through the air and the other on the ground. Expect the Niners to comfortably win by double digits but do not be surprised if this becomes a 20-point victory by the final whistle.
This result should keep San Francisco's hopes for a higher seed alive while Las Vegas is officially out of postseason contention.
